Pages

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

These past few weeks, we've literally been buying pounds of fresh berries at the farmers' market and munching on them as snacks, dessert, and everything in between. That's just thing with berries; you can toss those little jewels in anywhere (especially your mouth!).

This soup may not suit everyone's tastes...it's a bit on the tart side and you have to like the flavors of cilantro, lemon grass, and kaffir lime. (Of course, cilantro-averse people could sub basil or mint, or any herb that suits their fancy.)

Although I give approximate measurements of what I used below, I intend this as more of a recipe idea rather than an actual recipe. I encourage anyone who tries this to add the ingredients in little by little adjusting to suit your own tastes and/or subbing with other flavors that sound good. The end result in this case came out in a strong raspberry flavor with subtle hints of lime and lemongrass.

And one last thing: I didn't sieve the raspberries...we don't mind the errant seed and a slightly thicker texture, but it's up to you...*if I were serving this to company, I would definitely sieve them first.* :)

Mix everything in a blender until smooth and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve chilled and garnish with cilantro and raspberries. As an afterthought, a bit of shredded coconut would be nice too.

PS: If you don't have a super blender...make sure you really trim off all the tough leaves from the lemon grass...get down to the really tender stuff... in order to avoid any stringiness.

And now for something completely different....

Here's a follow-up shot of the ravioli from this post...(in case anyone was wondering):

I served them with sauteed crook-neck squash and a fresh tomato sauce seasoned with garlic, red pepper flakes, and fresh oregano; garnished with basil and black olive.

Verdict: Thumbs Up. The filling imparted a light lemony richness, while the summery flavors of fresh tomato and oregano gave a sweet-savory zing. The yellow squash was a nice textural component and added color.

Hi, Rose! Though I adore gazpacho, like mangocheeks I'm not generally a chilled-soup fan. But this almost sounds like a melted sorbetto sort of affair, so with its fruity sweetness I bet I'd love this! I think I'd prefer it with the mint, but the cilantro sounds interesting. It's sure pretty - makes me feel cooler, fresher and healthier just looking at it! :-) (And lucky you having access to all that local, organic berry abundance! I was finally able to buy some organic strawberries this week without having to take out a bank loan! Our produce is steep here, and organic local is very sparse. *sigh*)

Your ravioli looks like a little bowl of heaven!! Your grandmother would be very proud! :-)

It sounds like you are not alone in the chilled soup preference camp...I'm not sure about other chilled soups, but this one is really more like a smoothie...so I guess you could just as well drink it...eating with a spoon is sort of much of a muchness.

Laurie,

This would make a wonderful sorbet! Great idea! I can understand about chilled soups not being everyone's cup of tea...this could just as easily be a smoothie. Bummer about the lack of organic/local...I wish I could send you some, but I doubt they would travel very well. I wonder what my grandparents would make of these ravioli; certainly the idea of cashew cheese would be a new concept for them.

Carissa,

You got it with the coconut milk...I only added a cup, but if I make this sort of thing again, I'll add more coconut milk...it just ramps up the yumminess.

Yum, your ravioli looks delicious. I'm not a big fan of cold soup either but it sure does make a pretty dish. I think I could go for that more if it were a type of sorbet. :o) Your recipes do sound delicious!

Yes, Rose, as a matter of fact I *was* totally wondering, but didn't like to be rude about it since your photos of the raw ravioli were so nice! "Cliffhanger" indeed! Thanks for completing the story; your cooked version looks awesome.

Rose, it probably won't surprise you to know that my hubby wouldn't go for cold soup, but I WOULD like to try this dish. I love raspberries! Also, the sauce you made for the ravioli looks just as good as the pasta itself! Marvelous.

Phooey, I thought I already commented on this post. Sometimes when I'm on my phone, it's a little shady. I think what I had said was - I seriously can't wait to make your ravioli, and the final product further convinces me of that!

I thought you commented on this one too...I swear I remember it too...maybe we both just entered the Twilight Zone :) Anyway, no worries, and thanks for the follow up; glad you like the look of the ravioli...I'm sure if/when you make some, your version will be great too!